The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Woody Allen, A+
A perfect movie. I’ve probably seen it 25 times and I still catch new things here and there.
Mia Farrow’s performance is what really nails it. She chooses not to make her working class Cecilia the typical dummy with “ain’ts” and “gonna’s” but with poise and dignity. She’s got herself in a bad situation and knows it – that’s why she chooses Gil over Tom at the end. She’s not stupid enough to throw everything away on a dream (but, of course, she is dumb enough to fall for Gil’s ploy.)
This is one of the very few – maybe even the only – Woody Allen movie that makes me wonder about a sequel. Could Gil have gone back to New Jersey five years later? Maybe Raoul Walsh blacklists him and he is destitute his own damned self? Dear Lord, has anyone written Woody fan fic?